September 12, 2012

DIY Craft and Office Desk Makeover

I’ve been holding out on you guys. A while back I completed what can only be described as my FAVORITE DIY PROJECT EVER! I took some time to tweak it and take some nice photos of it, but I’m finally ready to share it and I couldn’t be more EXCITED! Can you sense my enthusiasm yet???

Get ready…It’s a DIY office/craft room desk makeover! Before we get to the awesome (if I do say so myself) after photos, I must share the embarrassing before pictures. You see, my husband is a truly wonderful man and has brought so many fantastic things into our marriage. BUT, he also brought his computer desk from college into our home!

This style of computer desks was quite popular not that long ago and could be found in homes everywhere. And while my husband was very fond of it and describes it as “functional” and “homey,” I was not as thrilled by it.

This desk lived in the corner of a spare bedroom when we first moved in and I would use it occasionally (Hubby got a larger and nicer desk for his office), but I quickly decided it needed an update and one day I doodled a little sketch on a post-it note of how I could fix up this desk.

Although I didn’t stick to this plan exactly, the basics remain the same- a coat of paint and some new shelving to completely transform it.

I started off by removing the top hutch portion of the desk. It was fairly easy to take apart and I covered up the holes from where the desk and hutch were attached with some spackle before painting.

Then, I sanded the desk down manually (it’s made of particle board so I didn’t want to go crazy and sand off too much with a power sander). I know there are lots of tutorials online for painting furniture, but since this is a particle board desk and not an expensive antique, I just used whatever supplies I happened to have on hand. I think I used a can of spray paint white primer to give the desk a base, then painted it with regular latex wall paint I had left over, and then finished it with a coat of protective spray paint.

So are you ready to see the after photos?!

Boom! If I can pat myself on the back, I must say that’s quite a transformation! Here’s a good before and after shot to give you the full picture:

I’m now able to plop my laptop down and use this desk as my office, or I can add my sewing machine and use it as a sewing or craft space.

Above the desk, I hung two shelves I had purchased at a garage sale. They were originally red, but I painted them white too. I used some empty food jars to store some paint brushes and pencils. The letters are our initials and are from The Christmas Tree Shop. I absolutely love the map too, it is another garage sale find. I plan on adding pins to the map marking the places we’ve traveled.

The desk isn’t very large so I try not to keep a lot on it. Just a lamp (also from a yard sale) and a couple of framed photos.

When I’m not using the sewing machine, I keep a little decorative box on top of the desk. It’s filled with old birthday/holiday cards, party invitations, and other little keepsakes I like to hold onto. I haven’t gotten a nice chair for the desk, so I’ve been using a dining room chair in the meanwhile.

Just for fun, here’s another before-and-after shot:

I couldn’t be more pleased! This is probably the most fun and satisfying makeover project I’ve done to date. I’m really thrilled with how this desk turned out and that I have a new office and craft space. I’m so happy we were able to keep the desk and transform it into something that works better for us without too much difficulty and at almost no cost (about $8 spent on the map, shelves, and decorative letters, everything else we already owned).

What do you think of this transformation? Have you created a craft or office space in your home? Or have a spouse that has also brought some questionable furniture into the house?

I'm entering this project into the Creating with the Stars contest from East Coast Creative!

Looks awesome. So fresh and airy. When we first got married, I moved into my husbands house. Our bedroom was floor to ceiling Michael Jordan posters! It actually stayed that way for our entire first year of marriage! Don't ask me why I didn't change that ASAP? I like to think my house is a little more stylish now!Stacia@http://feathersandsunshine.blogspot.com